Sumopore Sojourn: As Friend Calls Friend

Day 13: Friday 24th of April, 2015

Today is a sad day: we are leaving our friends and Sumatra’s fair shores. What a magical adventure it has been.

So it was we got up early this morning to say our sad farewells to our hosts, Yoan and her family. Before we came, they were truly friends we had not met yet. We were deeply honoured and privileged to share in the life of their loving family and be embraced warmly by their community.

Yoan is a true inspiration; as a parent, a mentor, a friend, an educator, a community leader, a business entrepreneur and a global citizen.

We all feel sure that we will remain firm friends and that one day our paths will again cross – over the hills and far away…

Till we meet again…

Over the Hills and Far Away

Where forlorn sunsets flare and fade
On desolate sea and lonely sand,
Out of the silence and the shade
What is the voice of strange command
Calling you still, as friend calls friend
With love that cannot brook delay,
To rise and follow the ways that wend
Over the hills and far away?

Hark in the city, street on street
A roaring reach of death and life,
Of vortices that clash and fleet
And ruin in appointed strife,
Hark to it calling, calling clear,
Calling until you cannot stay
From dearer things than your own most dear
Over the hills and far away.

Out of the sound of the ebb-and-flow,
Out of the sight of lamp and star,
It calls you where the good winds blow,
And the unchanging meadows are;
From faded hopes and hopes agleam,
It calls you, calls you night and day
Beyond the dark into the dream
Over the hills and far away.

– William Ernest Henley

We caught a private taxi directly to Medan Airport and flew to Batam.

Medan Airport’s artificial tree

Lion Airways

All aboard…

We ate a lack-lustre lunch in Batam’s Mega Mall and did a spot of shopping with the last of our rupiah. Retracing our steps, we cleared Indonesian customs and caught the ferry back to Singapore, through a darkened Strait twinkling with the lights of the Lion City, and a galaxy of navigation lights that guide the endless convoys of ships through the crowded waters. Emerging back into Singapore, we drag tired children through passport control and queue up for a taxi to our familiar digs on Joo Chiat Rd.

Published by sabretoothedchickenstour

So – like us – you’re passionate about travelling? You might be a backpacker, a young person dreaming about their first solo trip, a couple looking for “the romance of the road” or a family planning a budget gap year? Maybe you like to travel through reading, travel blogs, watching travel shows or are just keen to GO? Regardless of your background or your goals, we hope you enjoy reading about our adventures and this helps you somehow on your personal journey. Through learning about other cultures; opening your mind to new ideas, education, strange foods, thrills, compassion and discovery, you are embarking positively on the greatest journey…
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